Skanderborg (pop. 11,000; Skander-borghus Hotel, 82 Slotskroen, 25 youth hostel; two camp sites), attractively set on Skanderborg So, grew up around its castle, which was frequently a royal residence during the Middle Ages. Only the chapel and the adjoining round tower remain; the rest was demolished from 1767 on. The parish church dates from the 12th c. the W of the town, in the grounds of the old manor-house of Bygholm (now a hotel), are the ruins of a royal castle built by Erik Menved in 1313. SE of the town is the Gludopen-air museum, the oldest in Denmark.
W of Skanderborg, on the Mosso, is Emborg, with the sparse remains of the Cistercian abbey of (Dm, founded in 1172 (demolished 1560). Nearby is a small museum displaying excavated material.
Between Skanderborg and Silkeborg, rising steeply from the shores of the Julso in a setting of notable beauty, is the Himmelbjerg (Heaven Mountain; 147 m 482 ft), with many viewpoints linked by woodland footpaths. On the summit is a 25 m (80 ft) high lookout tower. During the 19th c. various political and church assemblies met here (commemorative monuments). An old paddle-steamer on theJulso, Hjejlen”, carries passengers to Silkeborg.
Several camp sites), on the Silkeborg Langso, rose to importance as a paper-making town in the 19th c. The Museum of Art contains an important collection of modern painting and graphic art. The old manor-house of Silkeborg (c. 1770) is now a museum. The most notable exhibit in the museum is Tollund Man, a well-preserved 2000-year-old head found in a bog near the village of Tollund, a short distance away. S of the town, at Bryrup, is an antique railway.
From Skanderborg, E3 runs NE to Arhus (60). An attractive excursion can be made to the Djursland peninsula, to the NE.
Road 15 follows the shore of Kalo Bay and then cuts across the Djursland peninsula to the ferry port and popular seaside resort of Gren£, on the Kattegat (pop. 12,000; Hotel du Nord, 120 Dagmar, 39 GrenS Sjomandshjem, 25 two camp sites). Old church; Djursland Museum, in a half-timbered house (1750). Pleasant boat trip to the island of Anhot (nature reserve).
Road 16 runs inland from Grena to Randers, passing Gammel Estrup, an imposing old manor-house which dates in its present form from the 16th and 17th c. and now houses the Jutland Manor-House Museum. Randers (pop. 60,000; Kongens Ege Hotel, 168 Randers, 150 Viking, 42 are remains of the wooden church erected by Harald, who introduced Christianity to Denmark. N of Jelling lies the Givskud Safari Park, with lions, elephants, buffaloes, monkeys, etc. 28 km (17 miles) WofVejle isB7u?d(Billund Kro, 20 b.), with Legoland, a miniature town built of the famous Lego plastic bricks, with reproductions of well-known buildings, a Wild West town, a collection of dolls and much more besides.
